The Masai Mara's dwindling wildlife

New study reveals that wildlife numbers in Kenya's world famous Masai Mara game reserve are falling drastically Tristan McConnell

Wild animal numbers in Kenya’s world famous Masai Mara game reserve have declined massively over the last 30-years according to a study published in the Journal of Zoology.

The new research shows that numbers of many wild animals have dropped by as much as 70%.

At the same time numbers of cattle illegally taken to graze in the Mara have increased by 1,100% over the same three-decade period. Poaching has also played a hugely negative role.

Speaking to the BBC one of the report’s authors, Dr Joseph Ogutu at the University of Hohenheim in Germany, said: “We were very surprised by what we found. The Mara has lost more than two-thirds of its wildlife.”